


Engines of destruction

by Hypatia_66



Series: An UNCLE Gazetteer [23]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: ABC Challenge, California, Community: section7mfu, Gen, Original Character(s), THRUSH, Volcanoes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 10:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15071438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hypatia_66/pseuds/Hypatia_66
Summary: LJ ABC Affair II. Cities A-Z. Prompt, W.Has Thrush reinvented the volcano-activating device?





	Engines of destruction

Illya read the file and looked up through his glasses. Napoleon and Waverly were a blur so he took them off. “But I destroyed that volcano-activating device,” he said.

“Someone has either invented a new one or knew the original plans and has started again,” said Waverly. “This time, they’re operating in California, which as you well know, is seismically active like Japan.”

“With lots of volcanoes, some of them active, some barely dormant,” Illya added.

“But it’s a very big state,” said Napoleon.

Mr Waverly grunted. “The indications are that something is going on in Northern California, around Mount Shasta. You’d better go and see.”

oo000oo

“The volcano hasn’t erupted for nearly 200 years,” said Illya who had been looking it all up, “and isn’t due to do so for another 400.”

“So, someone wants to give the towns around a bit of a surprise.”

“A bit more than a surprise. It would destroy a lot of them. It has glaciers so there would be deadly lahars and pyroclastic flows – that’s mud slides and hot gas to you, my friend.”

“My, you _have_ been busy.”

Illya sniffed. It was important to know this kind of stuff.

The views of the mountain across the farmland around were spectacular. Easy to understand how it had acquired mystic connotations and even a resident spirit, the sky god Skell. Napoleon was a little more taken with this idea.

“You see us as sky gods fighting with the gods of the underworld?” said Illya, slightly surprised that Napoleon was so interested.

“Well, isn’t it what we do?” said Napoleon.

“I haven’t observed you being godlike, yet.”

They had been driving and talking, not paying much attention to the towns they passed through until they reached the intersection of Interstate 5 and US Route 97. Over the road ahead was an arched sign bearing the name “Weed”.

“Weed?” said Napoleon.

““It’s where we’re staying and where we start looking,” said Illya.

“For weeds or marijuana?”

“Neither. It’s all timber around here. We’ll have a look at the industrial area – that’s where there’d be factory spaces for building a machine."

oo000oo

Even in the strong wind that seemed to be a feature of the area, there was a strong mixture of smells. The timber itself, pungent or sweet-smelling according to type; and glue, strong enough to knock a horse cold – apparently from a business that made doors. There was only one building that appeared to be innocent of such emissions, a warehouse. It sat separate from the others and was fenced off, its gates locked.

“Hm. We’d better come back in the morning and see if anyone turns up.”

They turned around and went back towards town where the motel was clean and the room comfortable. It also had a restaurant. Restored, they went out into the town to look around.

A bar that seemed busy attracted their interest and they sat with drinks, listening to conversation around them. It was mostly innocuous but one group near them contained someone who had had several too many and was talking loudly.

“How we gonna get away? S’only ten miles. It’d get here in fifteen minutes tops.” He was hushed by others in the group. “Am I right or am I right?” he said, just as loudly.

Some of the group saw Napoleon and Illya looking at them and nudged each other. “Sorry, gents. Our friend has had a skinful,” they shrugged apologetically.

Napoleon smiled benignly and said, “That’s okay – so, what takes fifteen minutes to go ten miles? A fast car would do it in a lot less.”

The loudmouth, hearing this, leaned over and said, “A fast car couldn’t outrun something that travelled at 40 mph across country, fella.”

“No, I see that. What did you have in mind?”

Illya would have spoken at this point, but Napoleon trod on his foot – now was not the time to display knowledge. “The gas, fella, the mud.” The loudmouth sat back and belched.

Napoleon affected bafflement. “I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah, sorry.”

“I mean, what gas and mud?”

“Why, from the volcano – where else?” Loudmouth seemed intent on explaining further but his companions lifted him bodily and removed him, apologising all round for their stressed-out and paranoid friend as they did so.

Napoleon and Illya waited for a few moments then rose and followed.

They weren’t difficult to track. The drunk was now at the vomiting stage. His companions held back a little in disgust; the two UNCLE agents remained out of sight. The group moved on, heading for the industrial area where the ground was more open and offered fewer places of concealment. Napoleon and Illya watched from a distance as the group approached the warehouse they had noticed earlier, opened the gates in the fence and entered the building. When the two agents got to the door they could hear an argument raging within, so the group hadn’t moved far.

“I tell ya, we gotta be away as soon as it's fired - before it sets off an eruption!” came the unmistakable voice of the drunk.

“It won’t have an effect that quickly – calm down!”

Illya nudged Napoleon to move away, and said, “This is it. Do we blow it up tonight, or in the morning?”

“Do we give them a chance to get out?”

Illya said, “This is no time to be chivalrous – they know the machine. I think we have to do it tonight. Tomorrow might be too late.”

oo000oo

Midnight. The whole town appeared to be asleep and the warehouse was silent too. Illya picked the locks on the gates and the door and they entered the warehouse silently, weapons and torches in hand. It was a large empty space surrounded by smaller rooms – dorms presumably. Illya recognised the machine sitting in the middle of the space. He laid the explosives around it and set the timer.

“OK,” he whispered, “let’s go.”

They made for the door in the darkness and found the now partly-sobered drunk before them, staggering out of the building to attend to a call of nature.

He turned away to empty his bladder and didn’t see them as they ran for it. He turned back, broke wind and the warehouse erupted in a ball of flame.

“The sky spirit seems to be on our side,” said Napoleon, looking back at the inferno.

ooo0000ooo


End file.
